Read articles from North America

January 16, 2024 by openaccessgovernment.org

With the rise of vaping continuing to increase, electronic (e-) hookahs have been advertised as a safer tobacco alternative, but it’s not all it seems. A recent study funded by the University of California, Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program studied the immediate effects of e-hookah vaping on vascular health and has revealed that e-hookah’s may not be a safer alternative to tobacco. The research focused on determining the role of nicotine, a common component found in vaping products, on endothelial function and the crucial regulation of blood vessel health.

January 16, 2024 by time.com

NEW YORK — Sixty years ago, the U.S. surgeon general released a report that settled a longstanding public debate about the dangers of cigarettes and led to huge changes in smoking in America. Today, some public health experts say a similar report could help clear the air about vaping. Many U.S. adults believe nicotine vaping is as harmful as — or more dangerous than — cigarette smoking. That’s wrong. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and most scientists agree that, based on available evidence, electronic cigarettes are far less dangerous than traditional cigarettes.

January 16, 2024 by canberratimes.com.au

Packed GP waiting rooms might need to find space for hundreds of thousands more patients each year under an analysis of new vape rules. But as the number of e-cigarette users hits 1.3 million, one state minister says stemming the tide of an emerging health crisis is essential. Under a national crackdown introduced in January, access to e-cigarettes for therapeutic purposes requires a prescription from a medical or nurse practitioner.

January 15, 2024 by substack.com

YouGov put out a poll [...] which showed an appalling lack of public understanding about the relative risks of vaping and smoking. Only 24 per cent of respondents knew that smoking is much worse for your health than vaping. 52 per cent reckoned vaping is as bad or worse than smoking. Surveys from the USA show that public ignorance among Americans is even worse, with a mere 2.6 per cent of them able to give the correct answer.

January 12, 2024 by tobaccoreporter.com

Consumer demand for nicotine products has fluctuated due to inflation and rising cigarette prices over the past 13-19 months. However, the Neilsen report covering the four-week period ending Dec. 30 shows that market shares are holding steady for both next-generation and traditional tobacco brands. The market share of R.J. Reynolds’ top-selling Vuse e-cigarette remained flat at 42 percent in December at convenience stores, according to the report. While Vuse’s market share was unchanged, No. 2 Juul dropped from 24.3 percent to 24.2 percent for the report covering the four-week period ending Dec. 30.

January 09, 2024 by openaccessgovernment.org

In the study published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, researchers highlight the dangers of thirdhand smoke, revealing the alarming presence of toxic tobacco by-products on surfaces in smoking households that children live in. Lead author Ashley Merianos, a tobacco researcher at the University of Cincinnati, said the study delved into the homes of children, revealing distressing results.

January 08, 2024 by reuters.com

Jan 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's challenge to a voter-approved measure in California that banned flavored tobacco products in the most-populous U.S. state. The justices rejected an appeal by R.J. Reynolds, a unit of British American Tobacco (BATS.L), and other plaintiffs of a lower court's ruling holding that California's law did not conflict with a federal statute regulating tobacco products. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020 signed into law a ban on all flavored tobacco products - including menthol cigarettes and cotton candy-flavored vaping products - in response to concerns about a rise in e-cigarette and tobacco use by teenagers.

January 08, 2024 by filtermag.org

A federal appeals court has issued a scathing rebuke to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its handling of applications to authorize vaping products. A ruling in a key case, issued on January 3, accused the FDA of sending vape manufacturers on a “wild goose chase” under the agency’s Premarket Tobacco Product Applications (PMTA) process—misleading applicants and failing to honor its own guidelines.

January 03, 2024 by latimes.com

Federal officials are seizing more shipments of unauthorized electronic cigarettes at U.S. ports, including a major bust at Los Angeles International Airport. But thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by the Associated Press. The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7-billion vaping market and raise questions about how the U.S. government can stop the flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes used by 1 in 10 American teens and adolescents.

January 02, 2024 by cbsnews.com

Vaping will be banned indoors in public places in Illinois in the new year. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, an amendment to the Smoke Free Illinois Act will ban the use of "electronic smoking devices" such as vape pens and electronic cigarettes inside public spaces. That means vapers will have to join smokers outside, and be at least 15 feet away from the doors of any public entrance.